Chapter 22; Dawn Breakin' and Reflection
"It's my fault – I think I made him feel bad for not being evolved yet." Sylveon had entered with Gallade, and she held her head low.
"Sweety, it's okay. You love him, but right now, he's down in the dumps. Me and Gallade are gonna go get him back." She nodded to me as me and Gallade ran out of the house.
"So that's why he left, but where did he go?" Rushing out of the house, I asked Gallade this. A cold breeze flew past me, the trees rustling in the night.
"Keifer, he ran into the woods son."
My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. "The same one where I…?"
Gallade nodded solemnly. "He's in there still, but we need to be quick before he potentially gets attacked."
I nodded to Gallade and began to run down the winding dirt path towards the woods.
"Rockruff, hang in there buddy." I made a prayer to the Pokemon upstairs as I stood in front of the clearing that lead into the trees. "Gallade, why'd he run off?"
"I could see a bit of his thoughts – he's trying to get strong enough to evolve and be stronger for Sylveon."
"That's cute." My heart lightened a bit as I heard that. Rockruff had been head-over-heels for Sylveon lately from what my mum told me. Wanting to get stronger and evolve out of love for her made sense.
Minus the fact he ran off into the same forest where I nearly got killed. Swallowing my nerves, I charged in.
"Rockruff!" Shouting as loud as I could, I called out to him, hoping for some bark in response.
Nothing.
"Rockruff, c'mon buddy!" I called out again as Gallade began trying to hone in on the small Pokemon with his psychic powers.
Still nothing. I got more nervous, my heart tightening as we got deeper into the woods.
"ROCKRUFF!" With one more shout, I hoped for something, anything…
And nothing.
"Keifer, I found him." Gallade's eyes were glowing and he began to run in a different direction. I followed him and we found ourselves in a clearing, looking at the sight of Rockruff repeatedly slashing and biting away at a boulder.
"Gotta get stronger… for her!" With a growl, he bit down hard, using Crunch and taking a small bit out of the massive boulder. "Not strong enough…!"
"Rockruff…" Slowly, I began to walk up to him as I called out, the Pokemon ignoring me. "It's me buddy."
I got closer as he still didn't reply. "Rockruff, c'mon-" As soon as I approached him, he turned and barked loudly at me.
"I NEED TO GET STRONGER!" There was a fire in his eyes, his shout reverberating off of the trees around us.
I tried again to speak, but he ignored me again, still attacking the boulder repeatedly.
"Keifer, maybe it's best that we-" Gallade stopped mid-sentence and took a defensive position in front of me. Everything felt colder around me as a familiar pang hit my mind.
"Look who came back…" My heart nearly stopped as a familiar Pokemon, once a Kadabra and now an Alakazam floated out and levitated above the boulder.
"We don't want any trouble." I locked eyes with the psychic type. "I simply came to get my friend."
"Well, then why isn't he listening? Is he really your friend?" Rockruff seemed disconnected from the world around him, still pummeling away at the boulder. "Perhaps if I can't get my revenge on you…" Rockruff suddenly yelped in pain, his body being lifted in the air as psychic energy wrapped around him.
"Let him GO!" Rushing forward, I let go of my fear of the horrible psychic type and jumped up to the boulder. The Alakazam turned to me, and I braced myself for a nasty blast…
Only, it never came. I slammed my body hard against the Psychic type, the Pokemon letting out a surprised gasp of pain.
"How the HELL…!?" Once again, the Pokemon tried to blast me over and over, the moves bouncing right off of me.
"Keifer, MOVE!" I heard Gallade's voice in my mind, and I ducked as he sailed over me, his fist crackling with electricity. With a nasty crack and flash, the Alakazam went flying, his body soaring through a tree with a sickening thud, the massive oak crashing to the ground, knocking it out.
His fist smoking, Gallade let down his defensive position and turned to me with a smile as he blew at the smoke rising from his hand.
I let out a breath of reliefe. I smiled to Gallade and shared a hug with him as Rockruff slowly padded up to the two of us before drooping his head.
"I'm sorry…" He sounded choked up, but I kneeled down and scratched behind his ears.
"Hey, it's okay buddy. I wasn't alone this time." I smiled to my father Gallade as I could see faint traces of light appearing over the trees. "C'mon, let's head home and get some breakfast."
Standing up, the three of us began to trek out of the woods, sharing some light-hearted banter.
"Rockruff, I know why you went out to train." He shot up a bit.
"Keifer, I-" He sounded so nervous, but I laughed a bit in a reassuring way.
"Rockruff, it's okay. You felt like you needed to evolve to keep being Sylveon's lover. She still loves you, despite you still not evolving, bud."
He held his head high as I said this. "Yeah, you're right! Maybe I'll become a special Lycanrock just for her!"
"Who knows, buddy who knows." We finally reached the edge of the woods, and as we stepped out, the sun began poking over the mountains.
"The Sunrise… it's always so amazing to me. Rockruff trodded ahead of us a bit before sitting and looking up and towards the blazing star. "I've always felt a connection to it, and I've always basked in it."
At that moment, Rockruff seemed to make peace with himself and his lover. Me and Gallade watched as he began to howl with content…
And then his body began glowing! I watched in awe as Rockruff's evolution seemed to be in perfect sync with the sunrise, his body growing into what looked to be the form of a Midnight Lycanrock.
But when the light died down, I could only look in awe. Instead of red fur, he had orange and light orange fur. And instead of drooping white hair, Lycanrock's made an almost sun-like shape, a bit of heat rolling off of him as he let out a loud, strong howl of power and joy.
"I'm talkin'… POWER!" Lycanrock's voice was much deeper, but what shocked me was the fire and flames that rolled out of his spiked fur almost like a Fire Blast.
"Lycanrock… you're a Fire Type!" I couldn't believe it. I rushed forward and we shared a hug as I scratched Lycanrock's head.
"Unbelievable." We turned to see Wolf, who had come up the path just moments ago. "We've been out lookin' for ye', but it seems like you sorted everything out by yer' own selves." He looked at all of us before returning his gaze to Lycanrock. "Dawn Form…?"
"No, more powerful than that…!" Lycanrock hopped back, and with a slam of his fist into the ground, several stone spikes shot up. He leapt on top and as he hopped onto the last one, he let more flames jet out.
"Sunrise Form!" He said this excitedly as the stones sunk back into the Earth behind him.
"He says it's a sunrise form, Wolf." The Sinnoh Champion nodded in response.
"Well, we better head back down to yer' home before your mum has a heart attack." Nodding in my own reply, the four of us sat off down towards my home.
"Keifee, are you okay?" As soon as we got close to my house, mum came running and buried me in her chest. "Gardevoir told me that you and Gallade went off into the forest and-"
"Mum, we're okay. Actually, better than okay – look at what Rockruff became!" I smiled as I gestured to the Fire/Rock type, who seemed to be looking around, his eyes finally landing on whom he was searching for.
"Sylve…" He ran up to my Sylveon, and the two instantly snuggled up to each other. My heart swelled with happiness for the two as we all re-entered the house.
The morning had went well – Sylveon and Lycanrock spent the majority of the morning out at the end of the field outside while the rest of us sat inside and shared some general banter.
Around noon, Wolf stood up. "I gotta head back down to Wedgehurst – I'm going out to the Isle of Armor today."
I felt a small pang of sadness, but I nodded. "Any idea when we'll see eachother again?"
"Dunno, but stay safe Keif, and remember what I told ye." I nodded and bro hugged Wolf as he gave a round of hugs out himself before leaving. As Wolf left and I turned, I caught a glimpse of something.
"Magearna…" With everything that happened, I had forgotten one of my whole reasons for coming back home for a few days. "Mum, did you get that paint I ordered a while back?"
"Yes, I did – I'll go get it out." She tittered as she got up from the table, swaying her ass as she walked into the laundry room. Moments later, she returned carrying two buckets of paint – golden yellow and a light steel gray.
"Thanks mum." I turned back to Magearna to see Lily eyeing her with interest, Samuel sitting at the table and speaking with my Gardevoir and his Gardevoir, Jade. Taking the paint and a few brushes she put on the tins, I pulled Magearna out of her little stool from the corner and into the center of the living room.
"Where did you find her?" Lily asked me this as I busted the golden paint open. I had made sure to order a very special brand meant for Steel Types – it was permeant, water-proof and it would infuse with the steel. A healthy, live Steel type wouldn't have to worry about fade, but because Magearna was lacking a Soulheart the paint would begin to fade after a few months.
"I found her in a Pawnshop in Motostoke. She doesn't have a Soulheart, but I'm still trying to find one."
"That's cool!" Lily had a cheery smile. Busting a can of paint open, I grabbed a brush and dipped it in the gold paint. Before I started, though… "Keifer, may I help paint…? I enjoy art."
"Of course, you can help Lily." I gave her a warm smile as I handed her another paint brush. "The original gold paint is those faded, kinda brown patterns. That's what we're starting with."
Lily nodded and we were off. As we began to carefully re-coat Magearna's gold patterns, we shared some light hearted banter.
Turns out, Lily was Samuel's girlfriend, which after everything the two have been through together, it wasn't a big shock.
It also made me question whether or not one of my female partners would be interested in dating – it was just a thought, but it wouldn't exactly stop lingering quietly in the back of my mind.
About ten minutes later, and we had finished re-doing Magearna's gold paint. None was dripping, and it was drying rapidly which was a plus.
"And now, the gray…" Opening the second can, it didn't take me and Lily much time to touch up the dull spots on Magearna…
But in the process, I really began to learn what Lineback meant by, "Galarian Magearna."
As I went to paint the other side of Magearna's dress, as in, the inner-side, I was met with the sight of an empty, perfectly round hole meant for ana-inserts, and there were several little circle patterns as well, presumably pleasure connectors of some sort to let the robotic Pokemon also feel pleasure.
As we got up towards her chest with the paint touch-ups, there was a small, breast-plate like covering. When I pulled it away, it revealed two perfectly round and soft nipples, connected to breasts that Magearna could inflate and deflate at will if she had a Soulheart.
"Built for max pleasure for sure…" As we finished painting Magearna, I muttered this. "But she's family, like the rest of my partners."
"Keifer, are you okay?" Lily put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and I brightened a bit.
"Yeah, yeah I am. Just… wish Magearna was with me now – I don't know if I'll ever find a Soulheart." Lily nodded in reply as I watched the paint dry in a very fast manner, solidifying itself onto the insanely strong, but yet somehow lightweight steel that made Magearna.
"Some day little lady, we'll get to chat. I promise." I said these words to her as I put Magearna back on her little stool in the corner, but not before grabbing a cushion off the couch to soften the seat a bit.
"Thanks for letting me paint with you." Lily had a smile on her face as we walked into the kitchen, where Samuel was showing my mum how to make one of his jams.
"Yeah, you bet. Thank you for helping me." Lily nodded to me as she wrapped herself around Samuel, much to the delight of my friend.
Seeing Samuel as happy as he was after everything went through made me feel happy for him.
"Keifee, you have to try some of this jam!"
The rest of the day went by swimmingly – Samuel's Jam had gone amazing with some of Mari's muffins. Speaking of Mari, she had gotten Hattrem in on a plan of hers for a three-way with me, which had been amazing.
After dinner that night, me and mum had also banged, and I gave it my all after she teased me about Wolf fucking her.
"He's got an inch over you, Keifee, but you'll still be my favorite so long as you make me smile." Mum had said this when we finished, my body on the verge of collapse.
Right now, I was laying in my bed, Primarina sleeping peacefully next to me and Hattrem nestled into my chest, snoring cutely.
"It's crazy to think about everything that's happened." I spoke to no one but myself as the stars outside illuminated my room through the curtain. "Everything with Gallade, the badges I have already…" Not to mention, the boxing contest I was about to fight in, the several times I came out against the odds…
Sighing with content, I let myself fall to sleep in my bed, cuddling up to Primarina as the moon climbed higher into the sky.
"Keep on truckin…"